There once was a...

[Shameless]

Cole didn't think, he just reacted, much as he'd been trained to do.    He drew his pistol and crossed the street behind the SUV's, he found cover, and took his shot on the closest of the gunman.  It wasn't done with a fancy flourish, he definitely hoped to be done with this, and gone.   He was mindful of the SUV's, and the fact there were likely still people inside.

Spoiler

rolled 3 of a kind.

 

[Nina]

Jo had laid out two of the gunmen caught flatfooted and had turned to the third who had dropped his submachine gun and clawed a hand gun from his belt. She was too far away and almost froze as he raised his pistol and then his head exploded! Some one had shot him from the other direction.

 

Jo looked and saw a man with a gun she also saw the driver of the SUV that had hit them sliding from his vehicle with another submachine gun in hand, he was also looking toward pistol wielding newcomer!

 

Spoiler

Cole needs to dodge then its everyone's actions again.

 

[Shameless]

Cole's reaction wasn't quite fast enough, he'd figured there was another gunman in the car, but he had to get the others to stop shooting.   The bullet grazed his arm even as he tried to find cover, tearing through his shirt and jacket and the skin of his upper arm.   It burned, but it was far from the first time he'd been shot, and was just a fleshwound.   Still it annoyed him.  He'd liked this jacket, it was comfortable.   "Bastard."   He quickly adjusted his aim and fired off another shot, this time aimed at the gunman who'd shot him.

 

Spoiler

1 pair and 3 of a kind in the same roll to hit.

 

[Exile_Jeane]

Two more shots and then the thud of a body limply hitting the ground that echoed in her mind against memories of That Weekend. Scarlet counted five heartbeats in her head as she double-checked the bright red first-aid pouch at her belt. Okay. Okay okay. If she was right, the bad thing was over and it was time to make it better as was her calling. "My name is Scarlet! I'm a paramedic, coming out to help!," she called before doing exactly that, rising to her feet with her hands up and clearly empty.

 

No bullets. Okay. <Holy shit. Was that Jo, owner of the Box? What were the odds with her bar burning down under dire circumstances and now a downtown shoot...> Scarlet shunted that train of thought away as the irrelevancy it was as no bullets continued to be fired. She zeroed in on the heavyset man resting against the overturned car, noting the considerable bleeding he was suffering. She crossed the gap to him in rapid, smooth steps, trusting Tony to be doing his part of their life saving dance, brown eyes darting to the standing combatants in this deadly skirmish and daring them to get between her and her work.

 

"Sir! Sir! Can you hear me?" she called to the gangster as she knelt, getting no response and flowing to the next step needed to keep him among the living.

 

Spoiler

Rolling Focus+Heal for use on the heavyset gangster to stabilize him. 

Hai lanciato 6 dadi

     

Successo Base:  

Basic Success:  

 

Did a reroll and got the same, I guess?

 

[Asarasa]

Jo felt hot, red blood - and bits that probably weren't blood - speckle her face and chest, so different from what it felt like in an MMA bout, heavier, sharper with the way it made faint splat sounds. And that bullet hadn't come from one of the gunmen that had attacked her - or maybe attacked Basilone. She glanced over and saw man, a big man - which meant only two or three inches shorter than her - pistol raised in a perfect weaver stance.

 

She gave the man a grateful two finger salute then glanced around, ducking slightly. She was still out in the open, bullets were still flying through the air, and she made a very big target. A female voice called out and Jo saw a regular from The Box, recognizing her more by face than name, as she went to check on Basilone. Other than the driver, there didn't seem to be any more hostiles in the immediate vicinity. Which didn't mean it would stay that much for long.

"What the fuck is goin' on?!" she shouted.

There was a Wrangler between her and the driver who was facing the man who had decided to get involved, much to her appreciation and against his own common sense. She wasn't much for guns when it wasn't fake for the screen, but she couldn't just leave man when he thought he was saving her. Not that she needed saving, of course! She was a big girl. But there had been an awful lot of bullets in the air and her luck this week had been absolutely dreadful.

The huge woman bent down and grabbed the gunman with only half a head remaining by his belt and the convenient strap of his submachine gun. She improved her grip, then straightened up with a grunt, muscles flexing hard as she took one step, then another, then spun and pivoted at the hip and released her hold. She had the Georgia High School record for the shot put and would have gone to the Olympics if she hadn't gotten into Crossfit and MMA. Big as the was, the deadman flew through the air, clearing the hood of the Jeep to crash into the driver.

 

Jo pumped a fist in satisfaction, then hustled towards the other Jeep that hadn't crashed into a luxury sedan then had a side caved in by a man kicked into it.

"Ah think we should all be skedaddlin' 'fore any more of these here assholes be showin' up, y'all," Jo called out. To the man. To Scarlet. To Tony Basilone's... bodyguard? And she supposed Basilone too, though she wasn't sure he was in any condition to hear her. She probably should wait for the police, but she rather answer questions later than wait and see if more goons showed up before the police did.

Her storage unit was only a few blocks away. She could feel the blood soaking through her shirt, and bits of broken glass in her hair and stuck to her arms. She really needed a change of clothes. And now a shower, or at least a whore's bath.

 

Spoiler

Brawn + Force [6] to pick up and the throw the downed gunman: Basic Success + Critical Success

 

[Nina]

All of the gunmen were down. Glory took a moment as the EMT checked over Basilone, then she stepped around them to the cab of the ambulance and pointed the gun at the young man inside who was on the radio. He froze.

 

Glory took the radio and looked the man in the eye, "Go help your partner get Mr Basilone in this ambulance we need to go." then she tore the mic out  of the radio.

 

Jo and the man with the gun were clearing the Jeeps when Glory walked up from around the ambulance and fired twice into the heads of each of the men on the ground. 

 

"We have to go, now."

 

Sirens could be heard in the distance.

[Asarasa]

Jo blue eyes widened, mouth dropping open at the nonchalant executions. In the heat of a fight, Jo didn't hesitate about how hard she went, but that was just cold. The big blonde perked up at the sounds of sirens, glancing back over a shoulder, trying to guess how long they had. Talking with the police later was going to be a lot more complicated.

 

"Agreed," Jo said brusquely to the Mafiosa. "Ah have a drive-in storage unit a few blocks from here. Might be it'll do us fer a bit."

[Exile_Jeane]

Much as she could respect the hard work that Jo had put into her various careers, the towering woman lost a lot of credit in her easy acceptance of the, obvious in retrospect now that she had a closer look at her patient, Basilone enforcer's callous act of murder. Those were people, people with friends, families, and lives. The police were, quite literally, within earshot to keep them from doing further harm even assuming they recovered from being very pummeled by the Box's former owner. Apparently, the cost of owning an establishment downtown included your soul, too. God knew how much blood the male enforcer had on his hands, much as she'd extend the offer of a once over when they were at this mysterious storage unit.

 

It was a close thing that kept her from sprinting away and into cover once she and Toni had Mr. Basilone stable enough to not bleed out then and there. There'd be another opportunity, and her partner recognized the brief flash of smoldering defiance as they worked. He looked up and nodded quickly, meeting her eyes. He'd been on one of her 'camping' trips after Freddie forced her to step out of her comfort zone enough to invite others alone. Just the one though. Coming back out of the brush and butchering a few bow-slain birds had apparently been too much for him.

 

"On three then," she exhaled, voice calm with purpose as they prepared to lever Mr. Basilone into the ambulance gurney, "One. Two. Three."

 

 

[Shameless]

Cole frowned, "Agreed."   He followed the statuesque blonde and the obvious bodyguard, his gun disappearing into his hidden holster.   This hadn't been part of the plan at all, but for now he just needed to go along, and make sure none of the survivors said anything about his involvement.  He'd just gotten back in, and an incident like this wasn't one of the best ways to stay in the Concern's good graces.

When he reached the ambulance, he caught a glimpse of the man on the gurney, and suppressed the urge to let out a low whistle.  This was getting worse by the second.   He looked over to the Blonde, and nodded.  "That was real gutsy, what you did."

[Exile_Jeane]

The blonde paramedic looked up from her task setting up the gangster for the upcoming ride in a very much more cramped space, face framed by escaped strands of curly hair. She could hear the female enforcer brusquely instruct Toni where to go based on some directions Jo had passed her. A lot of thoughts danced behind her brown eyes before she looked down again, attaching more sensors to Basilone. Getting the lay of the land as much as she could with the tools at her command here and now.

 

"Call me Scarlet. You're welcome," she responded, taking a moment to tap the EMT patch on her shoulder, "It's our job to keep people from dying, but if you want your boss to recover without complications, you'll need to bring him to a hospital. Sooner rather than later."

 

Spoiler

Rolling Medicine for Diagnosis

Hai lanciato 6 dadi

     

Successo Base:  

Basic Success:  So, 2 Successes.

 

[Asarasa]

"If Ah'm gonna be shot at anyway, bettah tah hit back than waitin' to get hit, Ah'm thinkin'," Jo said to the man with a shrug that was anything but nonchalant. She climbed into the ambulance after the man with a smooth economy of motion, then settled down as much out of the way as a woman a big as her could. She nodded back and gave the man a brief smile. "Thanks fer the help. Not the best've first meetin's, but Ah'm Jo."

 

At a request, Scarlet tersely pointed out where Jo could find towels and water. In the close confines, she couldn't avoid brushing up against Cole when she reached for them, then a hard shoulder bumping into him as she did her best to wipe the spatters of blood from her face and arms, and brush the chunky crumbs of glass from her long, blond hair with her fingers. Done as much as she could manage, she leaned back with a deep sigh, head banging softly against the side of the ambulance, hands opening and closing as she rush of adrenaline began to fade.

 

As far as she was concerned, she'd been fighting for her life. She wasn't heartbroken that the gunmen were dead. But the dispassionate and peremptory execution, that wasn't something she couldn't have done, wasn't something would have wanted to do. She had seen paying protection to the Mob as just a part of business. Now she was seeing the other side of the business. 

 

And unless this was the biggest coincidence ever or her luck was even worse than it had been the last few days, it seemed like her business and the Mob's business was colliding.

"We're here," Toni called out, voice tight.

Jo glanced towards the front of the ambulance, where the driver was, with the Mob... bodyguard? Hitman?

"Go 'round back, the vehicle entrance is there," Jo called back, pulling out her keyring from her purse, fingering it until she had the key to her storage unit. "Key code for the gate is 4-1-3-2-8-8. Turn left, my unit is the last one on the right."

Edited October 13, 2023 by Asarasa

[Nina]

The driver, Tony glanced at the hard faced woman beside him, she was still holding the gun just not pointing it at him. She nodded affirmative to his unasked question and he followed the big blondes directions.

 

Glory twisted in her seat, she discounted Johansson and the EMT, her gaze was directed at the man. He was a professional. Glory would have pegged him as a cop except that he hadn't called for everyone to freeze and lower their weapons before he started shooting himself. She didn't recognize him but that didn't mean he wasn't part of the family or a rival. Maybe the Irish?

 

"Someone had eyes on us and triggered the attack we have to assume we are being followed even now. So, this is not really going to be a safe space for us, not for long." She put the gun between her legs and pulled out her phone and started texting.  "As soon as we unload Basilone, I want you Tony, to go like a bat out of hell lights and sirens, i suggest north toward the Navy base. Get lost up there and abandon the truck and then you get out of town for a while just to be safe. But that's up to you. I'll fill the rest of you in when we get inside."

 

 

[Exile_Jeane]

If Tony got hurt because of this callous enforcer, Scarlet was going to carve her heart out with a spoon. That was a promise. It *was* the best chance to get the other EMT out of the hostage situation, and an escape by one was far easier than an escape by two. She looked at her partner as they wrestled Basilone's gurney out of the vehicle and gave him a nod of reassurance. They both knew that this was the situation was going to get worse from here, and it sounded like both of them being let go wasn't a thing.

 

"Go. I'll be fine," she reassured him softly, lips twisting bittersweetly, "Just another long weekend." 

 

Tony paled a little at that turn of phrase from his blonde partner, but acceded to her request, nodding back and leaving the gurney to her. Scarlet scanned her patient once twice, looking up at the male enforcer who hadn't said anything since they made their escape. "Please help me with him. He doesn't need exposure," she asked, all compliance and professional focus on the surface. 

[Shameless]

Cole nodded.   "What do you need me to do?"   his tone was flat, asking what may have seemed to be a simple question, but considering they were dealing with a wounded mobster, it was wise to defer to the medical professional.   He was still watching the bodyguard, and knew she was watching him.  In the firefight, he'd let slip the true depth of his training, even though he did take a grazing shot himself.

 

[Nina]

Glory waited until the ambulance had left and everyone had moved inside. It didn't look like they had been followed but that could be a deception. Her phone vibrated. 

 

Terry F - TB Status?

Glory69- Hurt but breathing

Terry F - Text address

 

Glory hesitated, two, three seconds, then she texted terry the address. Then she followed everyone else inside closing the door behind her.

 

Glory took in the scene, the EMT was beside Tony Johansson was stand near them and the mysterious gunman was off to the side with clear lines of fire to any of them. another sign of a pro.

 

"Alright, just so you know where we are. This guy,"  she pointed at Tony, "is a member of the Basilone family. I am assuming he was the target. Don't know why, his loss isn't going to do any real damage to their organization. But I assume him and not Johansson was what they are after. That was a slick set up and either our car was bugged or somebody in the organization tipped them off."  She looks at Cole.

 

"You a cop?"

 

               

[Asarasa]

Jo was thankful she'd gotten the largest storage unit available and she hadn't Tetris'ed it full like she seen some people do to their own units. There was a wide lane clear in the middle of the large room for the gurney and the EMT, the detritus of a life live more fully than most still shy of their 30s piling up on the sides. Jo snorted. She didn't even remember what all she had stored here.

"Yah got what all yah need for him?" Jo murmured, hunching down some next to Scarlet. "Ah can see if Ah can scrounge somethin' up, if yah need it."

"I'm good," Scarlet replied tightly, splitting her attention between her charge, the female enforcer, and the male unknown. "Thanks."

Jo nodded, unfolding her arms and rolling her shoulders as she regarded Glory and Cole. "Yah know if this might be havin' anything do with the fire at The Box? Yah said Basilone wanted to speak with me, but he didn't get to say much 'fore, y'know..." Jo waved a hand at Basilone on the gurney, then at Glory and Cole. "This. And like, with all the bullets and such, think Ah can get some names, or leastwise, something to call y'all? Ah'm Jo, which you know." She gave Glory a pointed look, thennodded at Cole and Scarlet. "Jordan Johansson."

[Shameless]

"Cole."    he answered quietly.  As she surmised, Cole was more than ready if she got violent, but the civilians present certainly made for an X-factor.   "And no, I'm not a cop.   I was just walking by, saw what happened and saw assholes shooting at an Ambulance.   I had to do something.."

 

[Exile_Jeane]

Scarlet snorted a little, barely suppressing a smirk as the enforcer's pool of allies shrank from two to none with the reveal of Cole being a talented bystander with some flavor of shady background and the looming celebrity having been grabbed for some meeting about the fiery fall of her business. The later had more than a sliver of her attention, hungry for hints that might unravel why her Freddie had gotten hurt. Not enough to keep her here one heartbeat longer than she had to be, but certainly enough to have interest.

 

"Kidnapping a pair of EMTs isn't going to help the amount of heat you're facing. If this conspiracy you're facing has connections inside the system, you've provided it that many more eyes to hunt you," she warned flatly to Glory, "Hostage situations never end well for your kind." 

[Nina]

Glory gave Scarlet a cold stare, but she spoke to Cole, "Just walking by."

 

Then she looked back at Scarlet, "No one was kidnapped. You're here because you have a patient, don't you people take oaths or is that just doctors. These two came willingly, I didn't even ask him," She points at Cole. "And Police? I am not worried about poilice."

 

"Why not," asked Jo?

 

"Listen."

 

Everyone got quiet they didn't here anything but the air conditioning unit. 

 

"No sirens. We are only a few blocks away from where we were attacked. If police were coming, we would hear them."

 

She glanced from Jo to Cole, "We need a vehicle big enough for all of us and we need it quick."

 

[Shameless]

Well my Aston is right the hell out for all of us.  Cole thought.   They wouldn't all fit that was certain. More than that, He Might trust the blonde or the paramedic to not notice or say anything about his car, which definitely didn't fit the lifestyle he had been living, it's other accoutrements would certainly stand out and draw far too much attention, especially to the eyes of the bodyguard.

"My normal car isn't close by either."

[Asarasa]

It was more than merely curious that they couldn't hear any sirens. Jo figured they must've gone after the ambulance and she hoped Scarlet's partner got clear. Jo gave Glory a shake of her head. "And mah Escalade didn't escape The Box. Don't know what the damage is, but it's probably a write-off, Ah reckon."

The big blonde moved over to one side of the climate controlled storage unit, to a large object covered in a heavy grey tarp. "All Ah got fer now is this."

Jo yanked off the tarp with a flourish. What was underneath was big, black, accented with chrome. A motorcycle, with big, thick wheels, it suggested brutal power rather than grace, scarred with apparent wear and tear. It was from one of her first movies, Ride or Die, a pulpy number set after society collapses by a director who considered himself the successor to Russ Meyer. She patted the stitched leather seat with fondness.

"Ah'd forgotten 'bout this. Good 'nough fer me and whoever wants to ride bitch, but not fer us all, let alone Basilone."

Jo continued riffling through the junk of her life. She found an old gym bag, inside a set of workout gear and a change of clothes, then moved over to a clothing rack, several garment bags hanging from it. Peeking inside one of the garment bags, she chuckled. They were outfits from some of the movies she'd been in. The leather straps and fur from In The Valley of the Valkyries wouldn't do. The movie was practically softcore porn. It was a terrible movie that unaccountably developed a cult following, and Jo admitted it might have been the most fun she had had on a set, filming in Iceland.

The stylish business suit with the heeled ankle boots with their distinctive red soles from when she'd played a henchwoman in a Bond film went into the gym bag. Not what she needed now, but could definitely be something for later. She grinned when she looked into the next bag. It was one of outfits from Ride or Die. Unabashedly, Jo stripped out of her ruined Box uniform of tight leggings and tight shirt.

In just her red bra and thong, the others got a good look at her impressively muscled and toned physique, and the faded scars from injuries she'd sustained over the years from Crossfit and MMA. Pulling on the rugged, black denim pants - Still fit! - and the shirt with the fictional club logo based off the Anarchy symbol, Jo reluctantly said over a broad shoulder. "But Ah got an idea. Gimme a second."

Jo shrugged into a short leather, studded biking jacket, then stuffed two more garment bags into her gym bag, and was barely able to get the zipper clothes. She turned around, redid her ponytail with a strap of supple, braided leather, then strode briskly from the storage unit. About five minutes later, the others heard a growling engine and in a moment, a 1st Gen Hummer HI rolled into view beyond the open doorway, an ostentatious yellow with red abstract flame-like designs on the side.

Leaving the massive SUV outside, rumbling, Jo climbed out and rejoined the others in the storage unit with a tight grin. "Belongs to a guy two units down. Flirts heavy everytime he sees me, offerin' to drive me 'round in his baby. He's cute enough, but supposed to be settlin' down with the wife and kid. Promised the wife he'd sell the Hummer, but can't bear to part with it, so hides it here. Showed me where he hides the key," Jo explained jerking a thumb over her shoulder and giving a shrug. "It surely ain't subtle none, but if we all need some wheels and he ain't using 'em, Ah guess there ain't any harm in borrowing 'em fer a spell. If he turns into a bother, Ah'll just put on the Valkyrie leathers and make out with him some. If we all need to go, let's get goin'."

The giant beauty pointed at Basilone with her chin, stepping forward as she asked Scarlet, "Yah need any help with movin' the guy into the Hummer?"

Edited October 25, 2023 by Asarasa

[Exile_Jeane]

"Ah. Yes. It would be appreciated," replied Scarlet trying to think chaste thoughts. Jo's films were a guilty-pleasure background noise for her and Freddie's quiet stay-at-home nights, but that... display had been a lot.

 

She cleared her throat, "*Regardless* of any conspiracies, real or not, your boss needs a hospital, and soon, before someone accidentally taps him on the head the wrong way and finishes off what the crash started. It'd be easier to say what wouldn't kill him at this point, Miss Bodyguard, and unless you have a secret hospital in your pocket, City Hospital is his best bet to last the day. And *THAT* is in line with my professional oath."

 

Her voice got harsher and flatter as she wrapped up her mini rant, daring Glory with her eyes. She was fairly confident if it came to violence it would be at least even odds, and she'd faced worse than that before when out of arms reach of any number of implements to defend herself with. 

[Shameless]

Cole said nothing, but Jo's display was impressive.  "So, secret Hospital or a public one.  If anyone here knows how to save his life, it's her."  He looked to Scarlett.  "He's your charge, so you make the call, or we're going to bring him to City General, and he'll have to take his chances."  His voice was even, but he was certain no one had forgotten he was armed.  "Now, let's get him loaded up, and we can go from there."

[Asarasa]

With Cole and Jo, Scarlet settled Basilone in the back of the Hummer with minimal fuss, pushing down the last bank of seats for more space. Jo threw her gymbag behind the driver's seat then locked up locked up her storage unit after giving it another glance in case there was one more thing she wanted to grab. Cole took a seat next to Scarlet, where he could get a decent line of sight both forward and behind.

Jo climbed in behind the wheel, and adjusted the seat with a smile. She didn't even need to move the seat all the way back to give herself enough legroom. The Hummer was even more spacious than her Escalade. If it ended up being a write-off, she'd have to consider replacing it was a Hummer. Maybe even buy this one off Chad. With a faint, calculating frown, Glory considered where to seat, then settled into the passenger seat next to the oversized blonde.

Jo drove up to the gate, punched in the code, then eased out at moderate speed, trying to as inconspicuous as an enormous, remodeled military transport vehicle with a bright paint job could be. Turning right, she flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror, catching Scarlet's eye and the closing storage compound gate, then shot Glory a quick glance.

"Okay, where are we goin'?"

[Asarasa]

"Boomtown," Glory said, tone deadpan as her eyes continuously scanned the road and side mirror, checking to see if they were being tailed. Taut and on edge, but not anxious. Jo had seen the same in the better fighters in MMA before a bout. "Sheffield Urgent Care."

"Right," Jo replied with a frown as she turned to go in the right direction.

Jo didn't often go to Boomtown, and when she did, it was mostly just passing through to someplace else. It was one of the poorer neighborhoods of the City, but it hadn't always been that way. Once, it had been the manufacturing center of the city, peeking in the late 19-teens, near the end of World War One. Many of the businesses had converted to munitions manufacturing. At least one business had taken a shortcut in getting a piece of the military funding... The accident explosion had leveled large swatches of the area. With the war ending, the neighborhood had been rebuilt as cheap, government-assisted housing for returning soldiers. As they moved out or died off, immigrants moved in. Boomtown had barely been updated since it had been built, save for a spate of renovations in the 60s after a tenement fire killed twelve people, but the name had stuck around despite municipal initiatives to change it.

Buildings grew more colourless and worn as they reached Boomtown. Jo felt more than a little conspicuous, more than she did as a six-and-a-half foot tall amazon, in the brightly painted Hummer in the drab neighborhood. She muttered, "...stickin' out more'n a sore thumb."

"Keep driving steady," Glory said coolly. "Some of the gangs have an informal truce here for street racing. This is far from the fanciest car these streets have seen."

"If yah say so. Ah'm gonna need some directions, Ah ain't been here much," Jo admitted doubtfully, being careful navigating the huge SUV.

"I'll guide you," Scarlet said from the back. "I know the way to the SUC."

Sheffield Urgent Car - or The SUC as it was derisively called - was known to most of the first responders. Poorly supplied - unless you knew the right people to talk to - and poorly staffed with the laziest or most socially troublesome employees, first responders avoided coming here as much as they could. But Scarlet had to admit, it was the one of the best places to avoid questions about incongruous wounds or injuries, for the price of a few bills surreptitiously slipped into a palm or pocket.

"Lead on, Blondie," Jo said as she started following the route Scarlet gave her. Her eyes flicked to Glory. "After this ruckus, where we start figurin' out who's behind this? Yah might be thinkin' that lot was after Basilone, but Ah'm thinkin' The Box burnin' up is tied up in this too. Was no accident."